1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to support panels for masonry objects and associated methods of use and, more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to support panels for masonry objects that are adapted to effectively reduce and/or eliminate pressure-induced fluid penetration through the masonry objects attached thereto. The present invention further relates to support panels that comprise one or more longitudinally displaced channels and/or comprise a plurality of substantially C-shaped tabs that emanate contiguously from the outer surfaces of the support panels.
2. Background Art
Support panels and structures have been known in the art for years, and are the subject of numerous patents, including: U.S. Pat. No. 8,122,683 entitled “Support Panel For Thin Brick,” U.S. Pat. No. 8,042,309 entitled “Panelized Veneer With Backer-To-Backer Locators,” U.S. Pat. No. 7,997,039 entitled “Veneer Panel,” U.S. Pat. No. 7,617,646 entitled “Support Panel,” U.S. Pat. No. 6,802,165 entitled “Thin Brick Panel Construction,” U.S. Pat. No. 6,691,472 entitled “Foundation Wall Protector,” U.S. Pat. No. 6,256,955 entitled “Apparatus And Method For Debris Collecting In Masonry Cavity Walls,” U.S. Pat. No. 5,860,259 entitled “Masonry Insulated Board With Integral Drainage,” U.S. Pat. No. 5,489,462 entitled “Distance Plate Building Component With A Protective, Ventilating, Heat-Insulating And Drainage Function,” U.S. Pat. No. 4,856,246 entitled “Tile Assembly,” U.S. Pat. No. 4,662,140 entitled “Brick Support Structure,” U.S. Pat. No. 3,621,625 entitled “Brick Siding,” and U.S. Pat. No. 1,277,622 entitled “Trussed-Sheet Building Material”—all of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety including all references cited therein.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,122,683 appears to disclose a support panel for thin brick, comprising a metal sheet, an array of groove retaining tabs having first tab edges, the first tab edges protruding from the sheet having an upward angle of less than about 45 degrees, for a distance of less than about one quarter inch, and an array of mortar lock tabs having second tab edges, the second tab edges protruding from the sheet at a downward angle of greater than about 45 degrees, the array of mortar lock tabs being offset vertically from the array of groove retaining tabs, wherein, the array of groove retaining tabs are adapted to engage shallow dovetail grooves formed in the rear of thin bricks, and the mortar lock tabs are adapted, when embedded within a cured mortar matrix, to exert, in response to a tensile force away from the metal sheet, a force along a vertical axis, on the brick, in an opposite direction to a force applied to the brick along a vertical axis by the groove retaining tab, to thereby retain the brick against the panel.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,042,309 appears to disclose a cast veneer wall panel that includes a backing panel having a rear face and a front face. The front face includes a boundary wall and a continuous abutment extending around a perimeter of a casting field. The cast veneer wall panel further includes a facing panel formed from a cast material that is received and held within the casting field. The facing panel includes at least one design element.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,997,039 appears to disclose a cast veneer wall panel that includes a facing panel having at least one design element. The facing panel is made from a cast material. In addition the wall panel includes a backing panel including a series of spaced apertures. The series of spaced apertures receive a portion of the cast material in order to key the facing panel and the backing panel together.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,617,646 appears to disclose a support panel comprising a plate including a face, at least one row of support tabs and at least one row of L-shaped fingers. The at least one row of L-shaped fingers are located above at least one of the at least one row of support tabs. The L-shaped fingers include a first portion and a second portion defining the L-shape of the L-shaped fingers. A tile can be placed on at least one of the tabs and maintained in position by the second portion of at least one of the L-shaped fingers. Alternatively, the plate could include at least one row of upwardly and outwardly angled tongues for insertion into at least one angled slot in a rear face of a tile to maintain the tiles in position adjacent a front of the plate.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,802,165 appears to disclose a building block holder for securely holding thin bricks or other building blocks in a spaced relationship on a wall which comprises a panel formed of sheet material that is adapted to be fastened to the side of a building. The panel has rows of spaced block support elements in the form of stamped, inclined, V-shaped prongs that extend outwardly from the panel such that when the gap between the blocks is filled with mortar, the mortar flows behind the prongs and thereby locks the building blocks on the panel. The panel also includes glue lock openings behind the blocks for more securely locking the bricks to the panel. A plurality of rearwardly deformed portions on the panel space the panel outwardly from a substrate and serve as water drains and recessed locations through which mounting screws can be extended. A lower edge of the panel is displaced outwardly from a rear surface of the panel such that an upper edge of the panel below will fit behind the lower edge. The building block holder further includes a shelf for mounting elongated blocks on their ends, a corner element that fits on the corner of a building, an outwardly extending flange that runs along the lower end of the panel, and a J-shaped panel edge connection.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,691,472 appears to disclose a foundation protector for a foundation wall that prevents moisture from being retained in the foundation wall and also provides drainage for surface water so that water does not rest against the surface of the foundation wall. The foundation protector has a smooth exterior surface so that it remains attached to the foundation if earth subsidence occurs. The foundation protector includes a waterproof dimpled sheet with spaced apart protrusions and an outer waterproof membrane which covers recesses formed by the protrusions and provides a substantially smooth exterior surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,256,955 appears to disclose a mesh device for retaining mortar and other debris within a mortar-cavity-wall so as to prevent such material from falling in front of and hence blocking the “weep holes” placed at the bottom of such a wall to permit the egress of moisture condensate that forms within this type of wall. The device of the present invention is a rectangle of thin, openly woven mesh of basically a planar shape but with bumps distributed across the plane in such a manner that when the device is placed upright within the cavity the bumps form barriers to the dropping of mortar and other debris. The bumps themselves, being made of the same material as the rest of the device, are fully permeable to moisture working its way down the cavity. Furthermore, there is an offset of the bumps in one row from those in the next so as to further reduce the possibility of a blockage occurring, for example, by debris accumulated on the bumps. Finally, the bumps on one side of the planar surface are matched by dimples on the other side. This permits nesting of the individual devices, thus reducing the space that the units take up during transportation and storage.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,860,259 appears to disclose an insulated drainage panel for use in cavity wall or veneer wall construction. The insulated panel includes a generally planar insulating board, and a porous structure disposed on one side of the board.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,489,462 appears to disclose a building component in the form of a board-like distance plate having a lattice of horizontal and vertical ribs. Frustopyramid projections extend from the intersections of the ribs on one side of the board and domes extend from the other side of the board between the ribs and cover a larger surface area than the projections. The domes form cavities which are interconnected by virtue of the projections spacing the plate from a wall or other surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,856,246 appears to disclose a tile assembly comprising a tile support plate having a plurality of vertical brackets erected at right angles and provided with a hook portion and a plurality of tiles having on its backside a groove with an upper engaging edge for engaging at least a pair of the hook portions, thereby securing the tile to the support plate.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,662,140 appears to disclose a masonry/brick support structure that is adapted for secure positioning upon a substructure such as a wall and includes a sheet metal underlayer or panel having a plurality of tabs punched therein and extending outward from a first side thereof. Also positioned on the first side of the sheet metal panel are adhesive strips for permanently affixing bricks to the panel's first, or outer, side with the bricks positioned in a given spaced array on the panel by the tabs extending therefrom. The tabs may be incorporated in the sheet metal panel in virtually any array to allow for a wide range of brick shapes and dimensions as well as various brick alignment arrangements. The tabs provide support for the bricks when initially positioned upon the panel. Mortar or grout is positioned in the inter-brick spaces and over the tabs which are thus no longer visible. The first, outer surface of the sheet metal panel may also be provided with an appropriate adhesive layer for maintaining the mortar or grout applied thereto securely in position after it sets. The sheet metal panel may be provided on a second, inner surface thereof with an insulating layer such as a foam insulation which is maintained thereon by an appropriate adhesive layer to form an insulated building structure.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,621,625 appears to disclose brick siding for covering building walls simulating antique, used or old brick consisting of a plurality of rectangular sheets of fiberglass fastened to the wall with each horizontal row of sheets positioned in overlapping relation with the adjacent row, each sheet having formed thereon to simulate row of old bricks having chips, distress marks and the like thereon. In order to achieve authentic appearance that is in keeping with the aesthetics of proper masonry practices, the end bricks on alternate rows along one side of each sheet are grooved to receive the end portion of the bricks of an adjacent sheet so that these bricks appear to span the mortar joint of the adjacent rows of bricks, the tongue and groove bricks, when joined appear as a single brick having a distress mark.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,277,622 appears to disclose a building material for walls, partitions, flooring, ceilings, roofs, and the like, and provides truss sheet construction which appears to be fire-proof, heat-insulating, sound proof, and of light weight, but at the same time strong and durable and adapted to carry heavy loads.
While the above-identified references do appear to provide support panels and structures for masonry objects, their configurations remain non-desirous and/or problematic inasmuch as, among other things, none of the above-identified panels and supports appear to disclose a support panel for masonry objects that are adapted to effectively reduce and/or eliminate pressure-induced fluid penetration through the masonry objects attached thereto—among other things.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide support panels for masonry objects, which, among other things, remedies the aforementioned detriments and/or complications associated with the use of the above-identified, conventional support structures or panels.
These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent in light of the present specification, claims, and drawings.